ers into the presence of Earle and
Dick. It was Adoni who presented them, naming them respectively, Acor--
who subsequently proved to be the captain of King Juda's guard--Tedek
and Kedah, the two latter being lieutenants in Acor's corps. They were
all fine, upstanding men, of distinctly imperious and haughty bearing--
Acor perhaps exhibiting those characteristics most markedly, as was only
natural, considering the exalted position which he occupied at Court,
and the almost autocratic authority which he wielded; nevertheless, at
the sight of Earle's talisman, they suddenly subdued their haughty
demeanour to one of deep reverence, and bowed low before the American,
with their hands crossed upon their breasts, while they murmured a few
words, which sounded like something in the nature of an invocation.
Then they turned to Dick and, with a glance of admiration at his
stalwart frame, bowed again, though with somewhat less of deference than
they had manifested toward Earle. As for Earle, he did his best to act
up to the distinguished position into which Fate seemed to have
pitch-forked him, returning the bows of the officers with a slight
inclination of the head and a still slighter flexure of the body, while
he gazed upon them with a kind of bland abstraction; Dick imitating his
friend's deportment as closely as possible, though there was a gleam of
frankness and friendliness in his eyes which Earle had not permitted to
appear in his.

Notwithstanding a certain suggestion of reserve in the demeanour of the
new arrivals, they could not altogether conceal the astonishment they
evidently felt at the style and cut of the white men's clothes--by this
time very much the worse for wear and travel stains--which afforded so
marked a contrast to their own splendid habiliments. The three officers
were attired alike in helmets, corselets, greaves, and gauntlets of gold
plate worn over a shirt of fine chain mail, also made of gold, and were
armed with short swords, encased in golden scabbards suspended from
belts consisting of gold plaques linked together. But there were
certain differences in the uniform of the three; for whereas the plumes
which adorned the helmets of the two lieutenants were black, those of
their chief were red; and whereas their helmets were perfectly plain,
Acor's was richly decorated with embossed ornamentation. Also the arms
of the two lieutenants were bare from corselet to gauntlet, while Acor's
were clad i